Decorative gift wrap paper is often sold in long sheets rolled onto cardboard tubes or cylinders, which sheets are later cut into various shapes and lengths as desired by the user.
When paper is rolled onto a tube, the edges of the paper sheets are exposed at the tube ends and are thus subject to damage when the tube of material is being stored, handled, or shipped. Rolled decorative gift wrap paper is particularly susceptible to such damage because it is normally very thin, leaving very fragile edges exposed at the tube ends. Consequently, end caps are necessary at the ends of the tube to protect the edges of the rolled paper against damage.
Protective end caps for the edges of rolled sheet material generally are known. However, many of these devices utilize separate securing means to hold the devices firmly within the ends of the tube. The securing elements of these devices may become lost or misplaced, become loose and fall out, and often are difficult to fasten to the ends of the tube. Additionally, some of these devices are too heavy and, consequently, are unsuitable for a light roll of thin gift wrap paper.
Along with protecting the edges of the rolled paper, it is a desirable feature of an end cap to strengthen the end of the tube, which is normally fabricated of thin cardboard. Many available end caps for rolls of wrapping paper do not sufficiently reinforce the tube ends. An end cap molded of plastic or some other rigid synthetic material may provide sufficient edge protection and tube end reinforcement; however, the rigid three-dimensional shape of such a device makes the end caps bulky to ship in large numbers. Additionally, because of environmental concerns it is desirable to make an end cap out of a natural, biodegradable material instead of plastic or some other synthetic material to facilitate a more environmentally safe disposal when the end caps are discarded. It is further desirable to provide an end cap which can be inexpensively manufactured and easily inserted into the end of a cylinder of rolled sheet material, such as by an automated machine.
Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a single-piece end cap for tubes of rolled sheet material which may be easily inserted and removed from the ends of the tube to protect the sheet edges and provide added strength to the tube at its ends.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide an end cap which is simple to utilize and inexpensive to manufacture, and which may be inserted in the end of a tube and held snugly therein without any need for separate fastening means.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide an end cap which may be made of an environmentally safe and biodegradable material while maintaining its strengthening properties in the end of the tube and which may be shipped in a flat two-dimensional form and easily formed into a three-dimensional end cap when needed for insertion in the end of a tube.